Friday 23 January 2015

This is what working class community struggle looks like!

I joined West Hendon campaigners yesterday at their meeting and march to achieve justice in their fight against social cleansing and homelessness brought about by Barnet Council and Barratt Homes. Their social housing estate is being demolished to make way for luxury multi-storey homes on the edge of the Welsh Harp. The rehousing tenants are being offered is limited and the compensation leaseholders are offered is insufficient to get a new home.

Campaigners were joined by E15 Mothers and the New Era housing campaign as well a Unite Community.

The issue has been covered extensively on Wembley Matters and the Brent Greens and Brent Labour combined to oppose the development on social and environmental grounds. LINK

A Public Inquiry into the development is underway at Hendon Town Hall.


5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Bit of solidarity with Brent Labour there, Martin?

Martin Francis said...

Where I can work with people who share the aims of a campaign I do work with them on the ground.

However, Brent Labour are pursuing similar projects in their own borough while opposing this in neighbouring Tory Barnet so happy to point that out. One speaker said yesterday that throughout London, regardless of their political complexion, councils are backing developers in gentrification of whole swathes of poor communities.

Alison Hopkins said...

Martin, it was also opposed by Brent Lib Dems. I, and others, raised formal objections at the time of the Planning Committee meeting, and I also wrote formal objections in my role as chair of the Welsh Harp JCC. Supported, I may say by a Tory - John Hart, who's a gentleman. I went to the demo, too.

Anonymous said...

Here's a challenge Alison: write a sentence without using the word 'I'

Alison Hopkins said...

Good evening Sujata. Will that do?